Saturday

Holiday Bonus Feature 2010, part II

Bonus this year (2010): $1000 Your weekly salary: $450, working 3 days a weekAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Tiffany & Co. silver necklace with name initial +$25 gift card + Christmas cardLength of Time you Have worked for the Family: almost 2 years

City, State and Country: Baltimore, MD

Comment:No words can express my gratitude, I didn't expect something like this ever. Their appreciation sincerely moved me to tears. It's not about what they gave me but the fact that they did it when they didn't have to. They are such amazing people, having them in my life is a gift on its own (as cheesy as it sounds it's true). I'm so so insanely happy working for them, I don't even consider it work. They are part of my family. I love them so much, every single one of them. They are seriously the best people I've ever met.

Bonus: Fifty dollar billSalary: 700 per week.Supplementary Gifts: Yeah. Some advice. "Get yourself a pair of good tennis shoes because I want you to start taking X to X park and walking there". The park is about two miles away!Location: Westchester County, NYTime worked for the family: 5 months* I loathe these people. They have a bunch of money. Mom is a psycho and Dad can't keep his snake in his trousers.

Bonus: $3,000Salary: $1,200 Four children. fifty hour week.Years with the family: 9.Location: NYCSupplementary gifts: Gift from the parents: an iPad. I am so thrilled to get this! From the children, A coffee cup made and painted at a pottery class. Dangly cat earrings, a box of chocolates with a card saying I didn't have to share them, and from the two year old a beautiful sweater that MB obviously picked out. I love my gifts from the kids, and especially the cards they made. *I am so blessed to have a job I love with a wonderful family. The only negative is that the children are growing up too fast and won't need me forever!Bonus this year (2010): $0Your weekly salary: $300 weekly for 20-25 hoursAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: $75 gift card to retailer, card, picture frame of childrenLength of Time you Have worked for the Family: 3 years and 3 monthsCity, State and Country: Houston, TX
*I was surprised by my gift. My first two holidays with my family, I received $25 gift cards, then last year a $50 gift card so expected to receive the same amount this year. I feel really blessed to work with such a great family. I always know I never need to worry about getting paid, and they are generous with paid holidays (4 weeks at minimum) and days I request off. Plus this past Summer, with one parent off from work, I received 10 weeks off paid which completely surprised me as this was outside of my typical vacation weeks, but of course was great as I used that time to work for other families as well. I definitely hope to work with this family as long as I am able to and will be sad when the time comes for me to go.

Bonus this year (2010): None.Your Weekly Salary: $13-$15/hour, depending on how many kids are
present each day; usually 1-2 days per week.Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: A beautiful wallet, some
toiletries, a cute little notebook and a card. (My MB and the eldest
child chose them, and they have great taste!)Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: Almost a year (I
started just after Christmas last year, so this is my first Christmas
with them).City, State and Country: Canberra, ACT, Australia.
*I'm pretty happy! :) I wasn't really expecting a bonus; nannies aren'treally common in Australia and I'm the family's first nanny as well,so I doubt MB had any idea that a bonus was standard. She regularlyrounds up my weekly pay quite generously, as well, and best of all, Ilove the kids and get treated like part of the family.

Bonus this year (2010): 175 $Your Weekly Salary: 600$ for about 45 hours a weekAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: noLength of Time you Have worked for the Family: 4 months City, State and Country: Merrion Station PA USA
*I am getting 2 weeks paid off in early January over my birthday.

Bonus this year (2010): $640 checkWeekly salary: $16/hr, average about $640 a week before taxesAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: $100 visa gift card, $25 Dunkin Donuts gift card, $25 itunes gift card and a new pair of uggs as one of the pairs that I have got paint on them from when the baby spilled it a couple of months ago...completely didn't expect that gift at all but was very happy!Length you have been with the family: 16 monthsCity and State: Narragansett, RI

Bonus this year (2010): $40 gift card to the moviesYour weekly salary: $250 (when I was full time, now I just watch the kids every Friday night so about $40- $60/week)Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: something the children have made for me or picked out for me.Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 5+ yearsCity, State and Country: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
*I used to watch the youngest girl three to four days a week from the time she was 6months to about two years old. Then I got another job but stayed on as a guaranteed babysitter for every Friday night. I still watch the girls and I should mention that they are relatives of mine (not very close but decidedly relatives) I had some experience so they asked me to do them a favor and watch their youngest. I never get a bonus, or much more than a $40 gift card to the movies, which I can hardly use as I work weekends seasonally on top of my full time job and my Fridays are spent watching the kids. I love them and all but without any incentive to stay….I think my time with this family is coming to an end. It wouldn’t be so bad if I knew they couldn’t really afford much, or if they had a full time nanny and I really was just supplementary, but they go out every single Friday night. And I know that dadboss makes much more than he pretends. I just don’t feel very appreciated. I do feel respected and I’m very close to the family obviously, but throwing me an extra few bucks once a year or buying me movie passes for the latest film out and giving me a random night off without guilt would go a long way.

Bonus this year (2010): $1000Your Weekly Salary: $600Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Gifts for nanny's 4 own children (WII game console, dolls) Gift for nanny (kitchenware she admired of mine and week off between X-mas and NY)Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: She has worked with us for 6 monthsCity, State and Country: Falls Church, VA (right outside Washington DC) USA

Bonus this year (2010): $1500 (not really a bonus, but a gift)Your Weekly Salary: $0- I have not worked for this family for four years. I am now the mother of one 2 year old myself.Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Dolls, clothes and letter learning toy for my daughter. Cashmere robe, set of silver picture frames and kindle for me, kindle and a bottle of wine for my husband.
City, State and Country: Purchase, NY, USA*I worked for this family from 2000-December 2006. I now live 1/2 hour away. She never forgets my birthday and still sends me and my family gifts for the holidays. She also gets my daughter a birthday present and even sends a holiday gift for my husband!

Bonus this year (2010): $500Your weekly salary: about $500Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: a photo album
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 10 monthsCity, State and Country: TexasComment:The photo album is empty, thank God. When I saw the shape of the package I knew what it was and worried it would be pictures of the kids. I have plenty of pictures of the kids and far more use for an empty album. Yay! I was worried what my bonus might be since the family is not loaded by any stretch and I'm their first nanny, but they did me right. I spent about $100 on gifts for them, so I'm glad everything turned out happy.

Bonus this year (2010): $0Your Weekly Salary: $15/hour (no set schedule)Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: $100 gift cardLength of Time you Have worked for the Family: 1.5 yearsCity, State and Country: Denver, CO*I was the families regular full time nanny until I went back to school and could no longer work the hours that were needed. The family and I have a wonderful relationship and I love working for them. They welcomed babies into their family this past year and I am truly happy that they've been able to keep me around for nights and weekends so that I can continue to work and see the kids (and the rest of the family.) I got a holiday card from them as well with a sentimental note inside from the mom that really did mean a lot to me. Would I have liked a bonus? Yes, it would have been nice but I'll take what I got!

Bonus this year: $100Weekly Salary: $800 for 55 hours, PLUS per week. (with no notice). My base is 55 hours. I average 62.Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: A Chico's sweater that is two sizes too small. There is no way it was purchased for me. Length of time I have worked for the family: 15 monthsCity, State: Rye, NY

Bonus this year (2010): $200Weekly Salary: $340 gross for 20 hours ($17/hr)Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: noLength of time I have worked for the family: 2 monthsCity, State: Greenwich, CT

Bonus this year (2010): ZilchWeekly Salary: $765 gross for 44 hours Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: an apron. A snowman her son made for her.Length of time I have worked for the family: almost two yearsCity, State: Fairfield, CT*As an extra bonus, my boss also told me that this year in 2011, they would not be able to pay me when they were away on vacation, so she GAVE me a Wells Fargo calendar with the dates of their travel marked. This includes two weeks the children spend at their great Aunts, a 17 day vacation to Australia, a ski vacation next month (one week) and two other trips. She oh so nicely explained that I should plan ahead and let other people know I am available then so I can still make money. What??

Bonus this year(2010): noneSalary: $600 net for 40 hours a weekAny supplementary gifts aside from bonus: travel size body products worth $39 plus sponges and a homemade card from the baby(the card I loved)
Length of time you worked for family: 1 1/2 yearsCity, state, country: Boston, MA*Family is overall good they do the bare minimum to keep me happy. They don't pay any health insurance or gas/mileage or even offer me a raise. I knew I wouldn't get a bonus or a gift comparable to the ones I gave them. I have one more year with them then I'm moving on to another family who will hopefully offer me better benefits.The only thing that upsets me is that my very personal(expensive) and thoughtful gift was kind of shrugged off with a "oh how lovely, thanks." I was hoping for a little more excitement but they aren't the sentimental type I guess.

Bonus this year (2010): 6500, plus a 3500 tax reimbursementSalary:1200 cash take home, they pay all my taxes Length you have been with the family: 5.5 yearsCity, State: Westchester NY*I went back to school this summer and cut my hours and pay back significantly. This is a wonderful job in terms of pay. At its worst it’s a nutball situation. But I really appreciate the huge bonus and I’m glad to get a monetary thanks, cause I rarely get a sentimental one.

Bonus this year: 10,000 cash. All in 100 dollar bills. No joke.Weekly salary: 900 after taxes, for 60 hrsSupplementary gift: A 75 dollar gift card to design my own Converse, which excites me to no end. I wear Converse a lot, but I have no idea how they knew to get me this. I've been hoping for this gift from anyone in my life for like 5 years.Location: NYCLength of time employed with them: 16 months*I'm shocked, moved, amazed + humbled by this extraordinary generosity. In no way has it sunk in for me yet. When they gave it to me I felt lightheaded + my fingers began tingling. If anyone has any suggestions as to how I can convey my gratitude to them, I'd really appreciate it. I'm completely at a loss. I thanked them up and down when they gave it to me yesterday, but I still feel there must be something I can DO for them to convince them of my gratitude. Money is no object to them, so I fear there's nothing I could buy that'd mean much. Do you think a night of surprise free babysitting would be ridiculous?

Bonus this year (2010): 2 weeks pay ($1200 cash)Your Weekly Salary: $600 (net)Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: $150+ sweater from my favorite storeLength of Time you Have worked for the Family: about 10 monthsCity, State and Country: Southern California

Bonus this year: 2010 $100Salary: $350- $400 a week- depending on how many hours worked in a week. Changes every week- but average 35-40.Length you been with the family: Since July 2010City and State: Commerce, Michigan*I also got a cute picture and a stocking full of goodies. Gift cards and a really nice card from the family- telling me how much they appreciate my services. I am very thankful to have this family. It is nice to finally have a great family. I am honored to work for them.

Bonus this year (2010): $1200 cashYour weekly salary: $500 for 30 hours a week paid extra if worked over 30 hoursAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: 2 weeks paid vacation Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 2yearsCity, State and Country: New York New York

Bonus this year (2010): $440 cashYour weekly salary: $780 before taxes (40 hour week)Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: $175 gift certificate to a really nice spaLength of Time you Have worked for the Family: 2 yearsCity, State and Country: Arlington, MA *Everything about my job is amazing. In addition to the gifts I received, the family also contributed $1000 to pay for me to take a class for fun at a local university this fall. It was very generous of them to do that (even adapting my work schedule so I could attend the class without having me make up all the time I would miss - still being paid for 40 hours). They are constantly letting me know how much they appreciate me. I love my job and I'm looking forward to more time with them!

Bonus this year (2010): A box of candyYour Weekly Salary: $520 ($13/hr)Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: noneLength of Time you Have worked for the Family: almost two yearsCity, State and Country: The West Coast USA

Bonus this year (2010): 2 Weeks Pay- $600Your Weekly Salary: $300 for up to 15 hours- usually around 11 (Guaranteed 15 hours, anything over at 1.5x pay). I am a college student, so only work part time. Supplementary Gifts: Super super flexible scheduling- basically whatever hours I say!iPad, $200 for lululemon store, $200 for anthopologie, $200 rei, a journal, a waterbottle, scrapbooking materials and super nice scrapbooking pens. For my birthday I also go a kindle, $200 gift card for apple store, and $300 cash. Lenth of Time you Have worked for the Family: Just over 3 years. City, State and Country: Berkeley, CA, USA* I love that they know exactly what I like! They took the time to pick out some special gifts and then gave me money or gift cards to pick stuff out for myself. They leave me little notes/cards and random gift cards for starbucks, amazon, or gas cards just to show they appreciate me. Plus they completely work around my class schedule! They also make sure to check in to make sure everything is going alright for me (from my classes, to the kids listening and doing their HW, to if I need any extra time off around finals! They also make sure to vocalize that they appreciate me. I definitely feel like I am part of the family and truely appreciate them!

Bonus this year (2010): $0Your weekly salary: $475 cashAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: KindleLength of Time you Have worked for the Family:14 monthsCity, State and Country: Washington DC*I'm really surprised I didn't get a bonus. Every nanny that I know personally got 1-2 weeks, and they don't work my crackheaded hours.

Bonus This Year: $0Weekly Salary: $550Supplementary Gift(s): a haircut/style at local boutique, a pair of J Crew cashmere gloves, a J Crew cashmere scarf, a bottle of vitaminsLocation: upstate New York

Bonus This Year: $5,500Weekly Salary: $1,500Supplementary Gift: a pair of .6 carat white diamond earings from a jewelry store in Greenwich with a gift receipt so I could return them if I didn't like. I love! I love!Length of time you have worked for family: 18 monthsLocation: Greenwich, CT

Bonus this year (2010): Nook Color - something they knew I wanted - 250.00! :)Your weekly salary: 600 netAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: a nice card saying how grateful they are to have me as their nanny to take care of their most prized possession! :)Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: Only 3 months (tom. will be 3)City, State and Country: Cambridge, MA

I work for 2 families:Job 1. $3,000,framed picture of the kids,lovely earrings,and a blackberry
Length of time:15 years,started FT but for the last few years 3-6 M-F

Job 2. $25 Starbuck's card and 2 framed pictures of the kids
Length of time:September 2010 M-F 8-2PM
*I am curious but does that sound like adequate appreciation from family #2? I am not upset but was rather shocked!

I have 3 to tell about. The first is a nanny job, the other two I suppose are babysitting positions.Job 1:Bonus this year (2010): $100Your weekly salary: $10/hr 24-30 hrs a weekAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Picture of the babies, $25 gift card to Barnes and NobleLength of Time you have worked for the Family: 3 monthsCity, State and Country: Pittsburgh, PA, USA*Since I have not been with the family for very long, I was impressed that they gave me a bonus at all, but it was much appreciated!Job 2:Bonus this year (2010): $40Your weekly salary: $8.50/hr 6-18 hrs a weekAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: No.Length of Time you have worked for the Family: 3 monthsCity, State and Country: Pittsburgh, PA, USAJob 3:Bonus this year (2010): $20Your weekly salary: $10/hr 4-8 hrs a weekAny Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Homemade candies, a large Yankee Candle.Length of Time you have worked for the Family: 5 monthsCity, State and Country: Pittsburgh, PA, USA*I used to be the nanny for this family before they had some financial troubles and switched to a daycare. I was surprised they gave me a bonus at all since we no longer have such a regular schedule.

I work for two families, each with a 2 year old and a 4 year old.A) Bonus this year (2010): A paid week offYour weekly salary: $350 (before taxes) for three 10 hour days (30 hours)Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: $50 to Montanas/Kelseys/Swiss Chalet chain restaurants, $30 to a movie theatreLength of Time you Have worked for the Family: 6 months
City, State and Country: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

B) Bonus this year (2010): $50 to the Keg (a very fancy steakhouse), $20 to Tim Horton's (Canada's best coffee)Your weekly salary: $160 for two 7 hour days (14 hours)
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: a bag of coffee, scented candles, chocolates, and an ADORABLE t-shirt with "WE (my name, complete with accent over the E)" screenprinted on the front, with the two kids hand prints on the back... I'm wearing it right now! So thoughtful.Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 4 months

34 comments:

Lila
said...

To the nanny who received the $10,000 bonus: Congrats and I'm sure it gave them a lot of pleasure to give you the bonus! I think writing them a heartfelt thank you note would be the best way to show them your appreciation. Throw in the free babysitting night on another occasion (like their anniversary).

Yep, the $10,000 bonus blew me away. I still have yet to touch the ground. LOL. Awesome...:) And for the nanny that got the 2010 "brand new car"...fully loaded with pre-paid maintenance, you are also one lucky son of a bitch. Kudos to you.To the former nanny who hasn't worked for her family since 2006, your former boss is an angel indeed. Bless her heart.Reading all of these (mostly) great posts has given me hope that there are many generous families out there. It was good to see that the majority of people got decent (or better!) bonuses and that shows me that the majority of families who hire nannies, truly appreciate them.

I think the bonus thingy speaks to the caliber of nanny that would read a blog. How many off the boat Jamaican nannies are reading (and therefore responding to the survey). Likely, none. How many of them are there? In my town, they are 90 percent of the nannies.I bet their employers are glad they don't read.

* I loathe these people. They have a bunch of money. Mom is a psycho and Dad can't keep his snake in his trousers.

I used to be a nanny for a family that lived in Bedford Hills the kid went to Rippowam Cisqua. I wasn't with this family 1 month before the dad was all over me! We often meet at a Hotel in stamford.He was cute. I noticed the women in Bedford, as a group are not very attractive,very plain, they are skelatal looking and not a apple bottom in the bunch! This has just been from my past expierance but affluent white men care too much about what others think of them so they tend to marry under weight homely white women and they look to have sex with another kind of women the kind that really turns them on!

I work in Harrison, NY and the uppity women here pride themselves on being totally assless. Fortunately, the men are always going to love the ass and I actually live in Mamaroneck, and we have a lot of fat bottomed gals here. Cant even get on the train without getting ogled by mr ritchy britches with the assless wife at home. I think it's funny that these women wear 500 dollar jeans. Jeans are for asses.

Years ago I got a job (my first) as a nanny in san francisco. I was 17 and got the job from Australia. The family were fantastic and treated me like part of the family. I stayed there for 2 and a half years. They always bought me presents of clothes, chocolates and left notes for me saying how much they appreciated me etc.

I then wanted to study art in my time off, so they paid for a single course for me, just out of the blue. Then the dad offered to send me to university fully paid (I hadn't gone to uni in australia). Note: in Australia it didn't cost anything to study at university, so for the family offering to fully pay all fees etc for me to study art was amazing and I was gobsmacked!... In a sense, they were basically asking me to become a permanent part of their family. Oh how I wanted to take up the offer... but I couldn't because once I stopped nannying for them and started studying at their expense, where would I fit in? It was like I was the big sister of the kids, but would feel indebted to them forever and not feel comfortable about doing my own thing.

Anyway, I ended up moving to London, then back to Australia, ocassionaly keeping in contact, and then got my sister to visit them when she went over. Found out the mom had died of a brain tumor.

So I fervently looked up the little boy on facebook and found him!... 25 yrs later! He became my friend on FB and we talked back and forth about life back then, although he was only 4 when I left. A few months later I realised he'd de-friended me!!!!! LOL

So nice to hear about such generous (for the most part!) employers...I decided to take a temp nanny job to fill in during my regular employers' Christmas break, and I received a tin of cookies that I suspect was a regift, along with what is probably (when I see my doctor tomorrow morning) going to turn out to be strep throat which I caught from the three year old who's been ill since I arrived at their house just before Christmas. Nope, I wasn't expecting any gifts on a temp job, and I'd have been more than happy to hand back what I received! :)

I know it is perfectly acceptable and even recommended these days to re-gift, esp. in this time of recycling and saving our planet, etc. But from the many posts I have read here on ISYN, it is obvious that re-gifting makes people feel bad. I agree. To receive a gift I know was initially given to someone who didn't like or want it, then passed along to me makes me feel so low. It's like, the gift was not good enough for someone else..but only good enough for me. Re-gifting is rude and if one does re-gift..for God's sake...at least tell the person!! Don't try to pass it off as something you picked out yourself. People are smart and can always tell. We are not stupid. When I give gifts, I always put a lot of thought into it and take pride in my selections. I would NEVER re-gift anything unless I told the person ahead of time..I would simply say, "Would you like this perfume? So and so gave it me, but I don't think I would use it as it a little too strong for me. I thought you would enjoy it more and get more use out of it, would you like it?" Also, if I did re-gift, I would still make sure I got someone something I picked out myself as well.Firefoxx...that was nice of your former family to offer to pay for your education in full. But you were smart to turn it down. Such an offer is great, but I think there would be many strings attached. If you had accepted it, then you would be bound to them for a LONG LONG time. Nothing is really free in life..everything has strings attached. There is always a trade-off. And don't feel bad, I get de-friended on Facebook a lot. Try not to take it personally. If someone de-friends you, then they really weren't your true friends to begin with. LOL.

To the nanny who received the $10,000 bonus: WOW. I don't know whether people who can afford that want anything (!), but as a mom of 3, I know that time with my husband alone without having to deal with the hassle of finding someone we trust to watch the kids is precious. I think a note and an offer of free baby sitting on a couple of meaningful occasions (e.g., their anniverary and valentine's day) would be a very nice way to say thank you.

Anonymous, I'm the parent who gifted the nanny the car and I assure you it is for real. Her old car was on its last legs. We were concerned for her safety and thought about giving her the car she uses to drive our kids around. However, we happened to see a new car ad and thought about the fact she had never owned a new car and how that would thrill her. We also gave her the prepaid maintenance because we knew she didn't have much cash on hand and wanted to make sure she was able to keep it in good condition. Once it got in our heads, we were like little kids. So we surprised her with it and she was thrilled and we would do it all over again. I feel sorry for you that you are so jaded. Yes, we care about our nanny THAT much. She's a wonderful person and has been a gift in our lives.

I believe the bonuses that some nannies got. I have faith that there are some families out there who not only truly value their nanny, but love their children THAT much. <--What I mean by loving their children THAT much is that those who compensate their nannies accordingly truly care about their children as they know a nanny who is well-compensated will be a happy nanny and a happy nanny = happy children. Parents that deliberately underpay their nannies do not have the child's best interest at heart. Now I know that not all families can afford a brand new car or a $10,000 windfall of cash. But c'mon...if you can afford a nanny, then you can sure as heck afford a nice monetary bonus once a year.

I normally just login to this site to see what everyone else has to say, so I'm never the skeptic here, but I am absolutely not buying the nanny bonus of 10 grand or the new car! These bonuses are astronomical compared to their salaries, WHO DOES THAT? I can't imagine that even the dads employer would give him such an outrageous bonus, much less gifting what sounds to be like a young valley-girl nanny (all in 100dollar bills, no joke, as she states) anything like this. No jealousy here, I promise. I happen to live in an area where apparently even a paid week off is not considered etiquette, but come on, really? And those on here congratulating these jackpot winners is even sillier. It just seems so over the top. I'm waiting for the next sitter to mention they received a quarter of a million shares of the dad bosses companies stock, or 6 months on a secluded island in the West Indies for all of their wonderful nannying skills. What if this nanny is just contracted through the rest of the year and gets an even better offer to leave, what then? This family would have gifted something huge, and with this economy, I highly doubt they did, and then the nanny up and leave. Not buying it, sorry!

My husband is a garbage man in Westchester County and he got a 2000 bonus from one family. He gets bonuses from most of the families. 100, 500, even 1,000. The 2,000 was a surprise to us. I don't work as a nanny but I work in a related field and see how some of these rich people tip. My friend who works at a salon gets a big tip/bonus when people come in around the holidays and a holiday gift from a lot of her clients.

Anonymous, we have always had a well-maintained, clean car for the nanny to drive our kids around in and it is used only for that. The new car is for her exclusive use only. She could leave tomorrow and take her car with her without feeling guilty of depriving my children of safe transportation. We gave her the car not with expectations for the future but for appreciation for over seven years of loving, excellent care.

One more thing worth mentioning: nanny agencies advise parents not to use the nanny's car for transporting their children. It is better to provide a car for the nanny to use for this purpose since the parent can make sure that there is adequate insurance and that the car is well-maintained. Like any employer, parents are liable for any accident in which their nanny is driving while on the job regardless of whether she is driving their car or hers.

I absolutely believe these. ten grand in hundred dollar bills is awesome. id probably take it home and throw it around my room in excitement. the car is excellent too. especially since the family is looking out for her safety. nannies become part of the family.

-written by a slightly jealous nanny who received a crap bonus, lol :)

I am a mother and all of the nannies, including my own nanny drive a family vehicle that is for the nanny's use entirely. Some families may make stipulations. We do not. I know of no parent in our area where any nanny is permitted to transport a child in her vehicle. In our area, that would be a major faux pas.

To "don't believe it"My boss gets her bonus in January. Last year, during the height of the recession, it was a six figure bonus. She expects the same this year. There are many pockets of areas where people are uber rich.

As for the nanny who got to borrow her friend's condo, your employers sound horrible. They become indebted to their friends to give the nanny a perk. They must be one of those fringe families that ride on the coattails of more prominent families, always waiting around for second hand clothes and furnishings.

Believeit..what kind of car was it?? If someone got me a brand-new Kia or Hyundai..well that would be cool, but a good brand-new car would be a Civic, Accord, Corolla, Camry, Altima, or a cute little Ford Focus. My previous family gave me a cute little VW bug (used) and the darn thing kept breaking down on me so I gave it back. There were no hard feelings, but I would have loved a brand-new vehicle.Congrats nannies on your bonuses and the fact that you all (or most of you..lol) work for great families that appreciate what you do and the incredibly valuable service you provide them year-round!!!!!

I just have to say as a mother who has tried to be fair and considerate to her nannies, if I was of the means to give a generous bonus to my nanny; I would give the most generous bonus I could. I have had two nannies poached from me in the last five years. One nanny heard she could make more money in another area and began interviewing there. These nannies were great while they were with us and I believe they gave 100 percent. I am not able to be more generous because I have more money coming in, but our nanny situation is different because we only need a nanny from 3-6 M-F. Because the hours I need are so brief and I want the nanny to make those three hours a priority for her day, we do pay her 100 dollars per day. Why? I don't want her to leave. One of the worst things I have been through in my life is a nanny search, especially back when we had live-in nannies.

A GIFT CARD IS NOT A BONUS! A BONUS IS CASH. OR A CHECK. MONEY. MONEY. NOT GIFT CARDS. These people are messing with you making you think what they are getting you is a gift and a bonus. Guess what, it's just a gift. Wonder what they gifted their snatch waxer?

Emily..you pay your nanny $33 per hour? With a wage like that, I am quite sure a bonus is not warranted.Plus, I got a gift card for X-mas and think it is a bonus..at least that is what I took it as. It actually was a $250 Visa gift card to shop anywhere I wanted. Does that count?

A bonus means MORE as IN ADDITION TO. It doesn't matter if you make 4 dollars and hour or 33, a bonus is the recognition that you are doing a job. And if your nanny isn't doing a good job, why is she alone with your children?

And a gift card is a gift, not a bonus. Your family must have control issues. They also count on you not to be savy. They know other nannies get gifts and a bonus. They killed two birds with one very minimal stone.

For my nannies and housekeepers, I usually give a nice monetary bonus in a card and a small holiday gift because I figure they would prefer more money over a more expensive gift. I think a supplementary gift is optional if the holiday bonus is sufficient.

To the nanny who's so blindly self-assured and is "not buying it" that other nannies were gifted things like 10K or a car--where do you LIVE? You are totally out of touch with the financial realities of the world, at least as far as the extent of the wealth that exists in it. There are plenty of jobs--in finance, investment banking and the like--in which bonuses of a half-million dollars are standard. I'm not saying that this necessarily trickles down from those who hold these jobs to their nannies--it usually doesn't--but the point is that some who receive bonuses of this scope (and even some who don't) are wonderfully generous with their nannies. You state you aren't jealous...I wish I could believe that one. Pick up any issue of a newspaper and you will be educated to the wealth that exists in certain fields in the world.

Hi to the nanny who's sure these big bonuses are lies. Your comment is leaping off the screen with jealousy.

Can you not find a better way to spend your time than belittling nannies who were fortunate this year?

Sometimes really nice things happen in the world, even to nannies. Once in a while, peek out from under your small-town rock from which you say a paid week off doesn't happen. You'll be happier for it.

Dear skeptics, a lot of bosses really value their nannies and want to give them the best that they can since their nanny is giving her best to their kids! A nanny friend of mine recently had her entire wedding, bridal shower, wedding jewelry, photographer, etc paid for as a gift from her boss. The family then gifted a honeymoon as a surprise after the wedding- including time off (and time off for my friends husband). The daughter that my friend nannies for was the flower girl as well. Many employers really value their nannies! Some of my past bosses still send holiday and birthday gifts when I only see them once per year these days!

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